Treasure Hunting

Nath, the kids and I went on one of our scavenging dates yesterday. We found an awesome website that outlines when and where Perth's roadside collections are, complete with maps of the boundaries of each pick-up. We decided to head out on a freebie adventure to see what treasures we could find.

If this sounds a bit unglamorous or even downright dirty and desperate, I'd like to point out that nearly everything that goes out onto the curb for collection ends up in landfill. So much of it isn't broken, or unusable, and is put out for collection merely because it's owners have no use for it or have replaced it with something new. Roadside collecting is more than finding treasures for me, it's also about reducing the amount of so-called rubbish that ends up in landfill for no good reason at all. If we can truly use it, I'd rather give something a new lease of life than have it end up at the tip!

So, after a trip to the tip to empty our trailer of greenwaste, and a stop at the op-shop so Miya and Eden could spend some of their snail collecting money (more on that later!), we were off.

Check out some of the treasures we found!

With summer approaching, having bottles of cold water ready to go in the fridge is always handy. These are in perfect condition, they just need new seals. Luckily, I have some of those!

A lovely wooden tray, perfect for breakfast in bed.

I couldn't believe it when I saw this gorgeous enamel serving dish on someone's front verge, what a gem!

Sitting alongside the enamel dish was this deep casserole. I loved the design on it, so in the car it went!

There is nothing at all wrong with this wicker basket, and I was after a new laundry hamper, so I whipped up a liner for the inside, and.... voila!

This old wooden stepladder, after a sand back and a bit of paint, will make an excellent pot stand, or bookshelf, or teddy bear storage, or..... we'll see!

We also picked up some old hose to run around the sharp edge of a tin-lined garden bed near the kids' fairy garden, a watering can (yay! I have been asking on Freecycle for one of these!) and a bin with a swing lid that I discovered was full of little jars and lids - perfect for some of the Christmas gifts I am thinking of making.

It was a very worthwhile foray into the suburbs, even though it always takes Nath a good few hours to recover after venturing down into 'the city'. I'm really loving the opportunities for creativity that living frugally brings. Over the next few weeks, we will be foraging a bit more for food that is readily available in the local bush areas and learning a bit more about about our local flora and fauna and how it can complement our bought groceries and homegrown produce. I'll keep you posted.